The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Any public building or business location within the United States is required to have some form of firefighting equipment. For example, apartments and office buildings typically have multiple portable fire extinguishers placed throughout the building at locations selected for reasonably easy access in a fire emergency. Likewise, restaurants typically have some form of overhead fire suppression system which are connected to a centrally located pressurized extinguisher, and function to blanket a stove or other portion of the kitchen with a fire retardant chemical.
Standards and procedures for periodic inspection of such equipment are set forth by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and are augmented by state and local fire marshals. As such, it is imperative that firefighting equipment be physically inspected at regular intervals to ensure optimal performance. Although the timeline and inspection guidelines vary depending on the type of equipment involved, physical inspections typically check the following items: (a) Location in designated place (b) No obstruction to access or visibility (c) Operating instructions on nameplate legible and facing outward (d) Safety seals and tamper indicators not broken or missing (e) Fullness determined by weighing or “hefting” (f) Examination for obvious physical damage, corrosion, leakage, or clogged nozzle, and (g) Pressure gauge reading or indicator in the operable range or position.
Although mandates are established as described above, it is ultimately the responsibility of a building owner/occupant to ensure these standards are met. As such, inspection of these systems is typically performed by a licensed fire safety inspector who is hired to certify compliance with all fire safety guidelines. These inspectors can be under contract with a building owner to automatically perform the required inspections, or can be called when needed.
However, because the only current means for determining and recording inspections involves a written card that is hung from the device, it is not uncommon for building owners to forget to schedule an inspection. Moreover, some unscrupulous building owners may attempt to save money by forging a signature on the inspection card, when no actual inspection has occurred. In these situations, building occupants can find themselves in a situation where the firefighting equipment is out of date, and/or inoperable when it is needed most.
In addition to the above, there are known complex systems for remotely networking and monitoring the status of various types of firefighting equipment. However, such systems are extremely complex, do not typically provide a visual indicator on the actual device, and are so expensive as to be cost prohibitive for smaller buildings and business entities to employ.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a single device that is capable of quickly and easily securing to any type of firefighting equipment such as a fire extinguisher and/or fire suspension system, in order to provide an immediate visual notification to a user regarding the inspection status of the equipment, and without the drawbacks of the above noted devices.